


You're Not Just 'People'

by cloudyunicorn698



Category: Rizzoli & Isles
Genre: F/F, Modified from a scene that didn't fit in another story, Rizzles, Short Story, What Doesn't Kill You redux
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:14:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29914668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudyunicorn698/pseuds/cloudyunicorn698
Summary: Jane and Maura have been fighting for six weeks since Jane shot Paddy Doyle, but Jane’s four-year-old daughter Gabi has had enough. Now, Jane is determined to show Maura just how much she means to her, but Gabi, of course, out does her.A different take on their reconciliation following S3E2 “What Doesn’t Kill You.” Short story. Rizzles endgame.Modified from a scene that was intended for Family by Love but just wasn't working for that story.
Relationships: Maura Isles & Jane Rizzoli, Maura Isles/Jane Rizzoli
Comments: 54
Kudos: 99





	1. Truce

**Author's Note:**

> This will be much shorter than my usual stories. I’m not sure exactly how many chapters yet, but probably 3-4 relatively short chapters. I was trying to fit a version of Maura and Jane’s conversation about Maura’s position in Jane’s life into one of my other stories (Family by Love, in case you’re interested), but it wasn’t working, so I changed it up a bit, and made it its own scene. Figured I’d share it.

Jane slammed the phone down on its receiver and buried her face in her hands.

“You alright, there?” Frost asked, shifting his gaze from his computer to his exhausted partner sitting across from him.

“No,” Jane snapped as she rubbed her hands down her face. “I don’t need this right now on top of everything else.”

Frost had no idea what she was talking about, but before he could ask, Jane stood up and stomped out of the bullpen, slamming her finger into the down button for the elevator.

Jane huffed in annoyance as she rode the elevator down to the morgue. She was about to do the last thing she wanted to do. She was going to be the one to swerve in her and Maura’s perverse game of chicken. Her love for her daughter was the only thing that could override her irrational stubbornness.

Six weeks. It had been six weeks of petty arguments, snide remarks, and cutting comments. Six weeks of pretending to hate her second favorite person in the world. Six weeks without her best friend. Six weeks of living with a four-year-old who was missing _her_ favorite person in the world.

Maura had to use every ounce of will-power she had not to glance up when she heard the tell-tale stomping of Jane’s boots coming down the hall. She missed Jane and Gabi with every fiber of her being, but she didn’t know how to stop the train wreck that was now her relationship with Jane. She steeled herself for whatever confrontation was about to take place.

Maura didn’t look up when she heard the expected knock on her open office door. “I don’t have the lab results yet,” she said coldly. “I’m very busy. What can I do for you, detective?” She heard Jane huff in response, and suddenly she was more afraid that Jane was going to turn around and leave than she was of the impending argument.

Maura knew she had reacted poorly when Jane shot Paddy Doyle. What she wasn’t sure about was how they had grown so far apart so quickly. Maura had wanted to apologize when Jane showed up at the hospital after the shooting, but Jane’s single-minded focus on asking Maura not to snitch on her to Internal Affairs had angered her. It only went downhill from there. Maura had thought that Jane asking Angela to choose between the two of them was going to be the worst of it, but that was nothing compared to the pain of missing Jane and especially Gabi over the past six weeks. Angela had returned to the guest house the next day, and she treated Maura the same as she did before this mess, but Maura hadn’t even set eyes on Gabi since two days before the shooting.

Jane was pissed that Maura wouldn’t even look at her. She wanted to turn around and walk back out the door, but when she closed her eyes, all she could see was Gabi’s sad face. “Look, I know you hate me,” she said, frustration lacing her voice, “but I don’t believe you hate Gabi.”

At Jane’s words, Maura’s head snapped up, and she finally looked at Jane. When she locked eyes with Jane, Maura realized that she hadn’t really looked at Jane in weeks. Sure, she had seen her, and they had had cases together, but she hadn’t _really_ looked at her friend. Jane looked utterly exhausted. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was even less tame than normal. Maura was pretty sure Jane had also lost a few pounds – weight she really couldn’t afford to lose. Jane was shifting nervously on her feet with her hands in front of her, one hand worrying the scar on the other hand. Usually, Maura’s first instinct would be to tell Jane to leave her scars alone, but she was too caught off guard by Jane’s words.

“What?” Maura asked, and she could hear the anxiety in her own voice.

Jane sighed, dropping some of the hardness in her posture and tone. Jane crossed her arms defensively in front of her chest. “Gabi misses you,” Jane said sadly. “She doesn’t understand, and I don’t really know what to tell her anymore. I know you don’t want to see me, but can ma just bring Gabi over to see you after work? If you don’t want to be a part of her life anymore, fine, but can you just…can we do it slower. I mean, like, she doesn’t understand why she went from seeing you every day to never seeing or talking to you.” Jane’s words got increasingly frantic as she spoke. She spoke faster and her voice got higher the more she went on, causing Maura to stand up from her desk and walk over to Jane.

Stopping a few feet away from Jane, Maura mirrored her stance with her arms crossed in front of her. “I…of course, she can come over,” Maura said quietly. “I-I-I miss her too, but I thought…”

Maura trailed off, and Jane looked at her friend curiously. She had never thought that Maura would say no. She knew that Maura cared about Gabi, and while Jane hadn’t been actively keeping Gabi away from Maura, by the nature of Jane’s avoidance of Maura, Gabi hadn’t seen her. The four-year-old had been caught in the crosshairs of their fight, something with Jane would hate herself for for probably the rest of her life. But something about Maura’s tone confused Jane. It almost sounded like Maura was surprised that Gabi missed her, but Maura had to know how important she was to Gabi – she had to, right?

“What did you think?” Jane asked softly, her tone gentler than she had used with Maura in weeks.

“I-I…um…” Maura sighed. “I thought she might have asked about me a few times, but I guess I thought she had probably moved on.”

“Moved on?”

“People come in and out of kids' lives all the time,” Maura said. “Kids are resilient. They have teachers and friends who are in their lives for a while; then, they eventually have new people in their lives.”

“But Maura, you were never just ‘people’ to Gabi,” Jane said slowly, but Maura misinterpreted her words.

Maura instantly bristled. “I am a person,” she said shortly, anger rising in her voice. “I know you think I’m a cyborg or something, but I’m human. I’m a real person with feelings and…”

Jane reached out, gently grabbing Maura’s elbows, immediately stopping Maura’s rant. Maura’s words got caught in her throat when Jane touched her for the first time in weeks. God, she had missed this. Usually, she hated physical contact, but she craved Jane’s comforting and reassuring touches.

“That’s not what I meant, Maura,” Jane said quickly. “I know you’re a person. What I meant was that you’re not just another person that will come and go in Gabi’s life. You’re so much more than that to her. I thought you knew that. I mean, no one else gave her her own bedroom at their house,” she added, letting her hands drop from Maura’s arms.

Maura instantly missed the contact. She didn’t know what to say, so she remained silent.

“I have to go. I have to get Gabi,” Jane said. “But I’ll have ma text you to figure out a time for her to bring Gabi by.”

Maura nodded in agreement until her brain finally processed Jane’s words. “Wait, why do you have to go get Gabi?” she asked. “Isn’t she at preschool? Is she okay?”

Jane hesitated, biting her bottom lip. “Yeah, they called,” she admitted. “She’s okay. She’s just having a bad day, and they suggested I come pick her up.”

“But you’re in the middle of a case,” Maura pointed out.

Jane’s defenses immediately began to build back up. “Gabi will always be more important than any case,” she snapped.

For once, Maura didn’t react to the tone. “I know,” she assured Jane. “I know you would do anything for Gabi. I wasn’t questioning that.”

Jane swallowed her pride, fighting her instinct to remain defensive. They were making progress, and Jane wasn’t willing to let that go quite yet. “Sorry, I know you know that,” she said. “Ma’s working, and Frankie’s on patrol, so…”

“I could get her,” Maura cut Jane off. “I mean, if it would help, and if my name is still on the list of approved people to pick her up,” Maura paused uncertainly before continuing, “I could bring her directly here, or I could bring her to your apartment and stay with her until you get home, or she could come to my house. I could bring her home after work, or you could pick her up. Whatever’s easiest for you.”

“I thought you were busy,” Jane stalled.

“As the Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth, I always have things to do,” Maura said, which is exactly how she was able to tell Jane she was busy when she first walked in despite not having any active cases. “But unlike you, I don’t have an active case. I can take the afternoon off. Plus, I can get work done during her nap.”

“You’re still on the list,” Jane said, answering Maura’s question from earlier. “She’d really like that,” Jane added. “And she’d probably love to go to your house, if you’re okay with that.”

“I would love to have her over,” Maura said, and Jane didn’t miss the glimmer of hope that flitted across Maura’s face.

“Okay, well that would help a lot,” Jane finally conceded. “I’ll try to get out of here by 5pm.”

Maura nodded. “If you want to make sure you leave on time because you want to see Gabi, that’s fine, but if you need to work later, she can stay as late as you need her to. I know if you close this case, you’ll have the weekend off.”

Jane found herself surprised that Maura was so aware of her schedule. Maura was right though, if she closed this case – even if it meant working later – she’d have the weekend off.

“Okay, well can you have her call me when you guys get home?” Jane said. “It doesn’t have to be right away, like if you guys want to stop somewhere or whatever, just have her call sometime this afternoon?”

“Of course,” Maura said.

“If she seems okay, then I might work later so that I don’t have to work this weekend,” Jane added.

Maura nodded. “Thank you, Jane,” she said softly, and finally, _finally_ , she saw the smile she had missed for six weeks, the smile Jane reserved only for her.

“I should be thanking you,” Jane said over her shoulder as she left the office.


	2. Aunt Maura

Maura quickly gathered her things and walked to her car. After six weeks without seeing Gabi and without seeing Jane outside of work, Maura really had started to think they had moved on – that Jane didn’t think her friendship with Maura was worth the difficulties anymore, that Gabi had forgotten about her. Maura hadn’t forgotten about Gabi though, and she definitely hadn’t moved on from Jane.

Despite her worries that Jane and Gabi were quickly becoming new additions to the list of people who forgot about her, Maura hadn’t been able to bring herself to get rid of the changes she had made to incorporate Gabi into her life. She still had the five-point harness car seat installed in the back seat of her car; she hadn’t changed the spare bedroom she had converted into a bedroom for Gabi back into a guest room; and she still made sure she had Gabi’s favorite (relatively healthy) snacks stocked.

Maura and Jane had met officially when Gabi was about 9 months old. Maura had been surprised to see the woman she had thought was a hooker carrying a badge and a baby. Of course, Jane had caught her staring. Ever the confident one in their relationship, she had walked straight over to Maura to introduce herself and her daughter, making sure to let Maura know that she was not, in fact, a hooker and that Gabi was not a product of some John. Personally, Maura couldn’t have cared less – and she still couldn’t care less – who Gabi’s biological father was once those big brown eyes locked with hers and Gabi’s face broke out into a huge smile.

It hadn’t taken long for Maura and Jane to become close friends after that. By Gabi’s first birthday, Maura was already being included in Rizzoli family events. By her second birthday, Gabi probably spent as much time at Maura’s house as she did her and Jane’s apartment. But it was for her third birthday that Maura converted one of the spare rooms into a bedroom just for Gabi, and the little girl was ecstatic. The moment Gabi threw herself into Maura’s arms to thank her for the room will forever be one of the best moments of Maura’s life.

Maura always figured that she had become so attached to Gabi when she helped care for her after Jane was attacked by Hoyt. For months after the attack, Maura and Angela alternated helping to care for Gabi while Jane regained the use of her hands. While Angela still had to help while Maura was at work, over time, Maura took over a larger share of the caretaking duties in an attempt to minimize Jane’s frustration with her mother. Even though she hated seeing Jane hurt, Maura had to admit that she was incredibly grateful for that time she got to spend with both Gabi and Jane. She knew she wasn’t _really_ a part of their family, but the reality was that Maura had never felt more a part of a family than she did with Jane and Gabi, especially during that time.

That’s what made her reaction after Paddy’s shooting so confusing, even to herself. She had reacted emotionally, lashing out at the person she trusted the most. And not unexpectedly, Jane had immediately gone on the defensive, instantly rebuilding every wall Maura had broken down over the past three and a half years. As was her nature, Jane couldn’t stand to be on the defensive, so she had lashed out at Maura in return. From there, it only got worse as they continued to argue and throw insults at each other over the six weeks that had passed since that day.

Maura pulled into the once familiar parking lot of Gabi’s daycare/preschool. She was more nervous than she had expected to be to walk into the building. She couldn’t help but wonder what the staff must be thinking about her. If they didn’t notice her disappearance on their own, Jane’s comments made it sound like Gabi had certainly made it known that Maura had been missing from her life. It wasn’t really the staff or teacher’s opinions that she cared about, though. What she was really worried about was Gabi’s reaction.

Maura walked through the front door, stopping at the front desk to check-in. “Hello, I’m here to pick up Gabriella Rizzoli,” Maura said politely.

The woman at the front desk smiled at her. “Yes, her teacher called ahead to let me know to expect you,” she said. “If you know where you’re going, you can head back there. Otherwise, I can walk you back as soon as the other staff member returns to the desk.”

“Thank you, but I know where I’m going,” Maura said, offering the woman a smile of her own before walking further into the building. Other than the new kids’ artwork on the walls, the daycare looked almost exactly the same as the last time Maura was here. The daycare cared for children as young as six weeks up until they attended kindergarten. Older kids, like Gabi, were placed in age-appropriate classrooms that functioned as a preschool in addition to a daycare.

Maura’s heart shattered when she walked into Gabi’s classroom. Most of the class was gone, probably playing outside on the playground, and Gabi was seated on one of the kid-sized chairs in front of a table. She had her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. With her chin resting on her knees, she was listening to her teacher, who was sitting next to her. Maura knew that the little girl must be upset if she was sitting like that. Gabi tended to fold in upon herself when she was distressed, sad, or anxious.

The teacher saw Maura first and said something to Gabi that Maura couldn’t hear. Gabi’s eyes followed the teacher’s finger, which was pointed at Maura. When Gabi’s gaze locked on Maura, her face instantly lit up. She tried to extricate herself from her ball of limbs so quickly she nearly fell out of her chair.

Maura lowered herself to her knees to catch Gabi as she hurtled across the classroom and launched herself into Maura’s arms with a strangled cry of, “Aunt Maura!”

Maura tried not to cry as she buried her face in Gabi’s curls. God, she had missed her favorite four-year-old. “Hi, sweetie,” she whispered.

Gabi leaned back so that she could look at Maura’s face, but she didn’t release her death grip on Maura. It was almost as if she were afraid that if she let go of Maura, Maura would disappear again. “I missed you,” she said sadly, her little voice breaking Maura’s heart even further.

“I missed you, too,” Maura said honestly, her own voice shaking slightly displaying the same emotions as Gabi’s voice had moments before.

Maura stood up still holding Gabi in her arms and shifted the girl to her hip as she turned her attention to Gabi’s teacher. Maura wasn’t sure what to say, so she was glad that the teacher spoke first.

“Jane called to let us know that you were going to pick Gabi up,” the teacher said. “She’s been pretty upset today, but she wouldn’t tell us why. She was reluctant to participate in the morning’s activities, but when she refused to eat lunch, that’s when we called Jane.”

“Thank you,” Maura said, offering Gabi’s teacher a half-hearted smile while she continued to rub soothing circles on Gabi’s back. Gabi kept her face buried in the crook of Maura’s neck. Maura exchanged small talk with the teacher for a few minutes as she collected Gabi’s backpack from her coat cubby, making sure to pack the items stored in the smaller cubby above her coat cubby. The preschool typically sent home notifications and the kids projects on Fridays, so Maura was used to the routine.

Usually, Jane or Maura made Gabi carry her own backpack to the car in an attempt to teach her independence and responsibility, but today Maura made an exception. She could sense that Gabi needed to be held a while longer, so Maura slung the Doc McStuffins backpack over her shoulder and carried Gabi to the car on her hip.

When Maura opened the door to the backseat of her car, Gabi finally lifted her head from Maura’s shoulder. Maura placed the backpack on the floor of the car before looking at Gabi. “Are you okay, sweetie?” she asked.

Gabi nodded but remained silent.

“Do you feel ill?”

Gabi just shook her head.

Maura sighed. She was concerned about the little girl, but she could tell she wasn’t going to get an answer about what happened right now. “Miss Kara said you didn’t eat lunch,” Maura said, referring to Gabi’s teacher. “Are you hungry?”

Gabi nodded again and snuggled further into Maura’s embrace.

Still standing next to the open door of her car, Maura resumed rubbing Gabi’s back. “Your mom’s still at work, so if it’s okay with you, you’re going to spend the afternoon with me,” Maura explained.

Gabi sat up straighter in Maura’s arms, a smile finally crossing her face. “Really?” she asked excitedly.

Maura returned her smile. “Yes, really,” she said. “I was thinking we could stop and get lunch before we go back to my house. How does that sound?”

“Good!” Gabi said excitedly, and Maura was happy to see that some of her usual energy was returning. She placed Gabi in her car seat, making sure to securely buckle the harness before getting into the front seat.

* * *

“Okay, the tapping is seriously annoying,” Frost said to his partner. He and Jane were driving to a suspect’s registered home address. Usually, they would use the drive time to discuss the case, but Jane had remained unusually silent, her leg bouncing incessantly exposing her anxiety. “What happened today?” he asked her. Frost tried to remain patient, but he and everyone else at the precinct were seriously frustrated with Jane and Maura’s fight. It seemed to be clear to everyone except the two of them how much they needed each other. Jane hadn’t commented about the call she had received earlier, but Frost was pretty sure that whatever it was about had finally led her down to the morgue.

“Gabi had a bad day at school,” Jane answered, agitation and anxiety filling her voice.

“Is she okay?” Frost asked quickly, concerned about the little girl he regarded as a pseudo-niece.

“She…she…” Jane sighed resignedly. She needed to talk about this, and Frost was probably her best option. He was always caring and understanding, but he would also tell her his honest opinion, which is something she needed right now. “She misses Maura,” Jane replied.

“I’m not surprised,” Frost answered.

“I’m not sure what happened at preschool today, though, that finally caused her to breakdown, but it’s been increasingly worse the longer she has gone without seeing Maura.”

“Did you tell Maura?” Frost asked. He prayed to a god he wasn’t sure he believed in that Jane hadn’t thrown all of the blame for Gabi’s hurt onto Maura.

“Yeah,” Jane said before pausing.

“And?” Frost pushed, curiosity getting the better of him.

Jane turned to look at Frost. “She was surprised,” Jane said, and Frost could hear the confusion in Jane’s voice. “I mean, deep down, I knew Maura still cared about Gabi, so I don’t understand why Maura was so surprised that Gabi had missed her. She said that people go in and out of kids’ lives all the time, and that she had just thought that Gabi had moved on. But she wasn’t saying it in, like, a manipulative way,” she continued. “She genuinely didn’t realize how much she meant to Gabi.”

Frost glanced at his partner as he stopped at a stoplight. “Do you really want to know what I think?” Frost asked.

“Yes, that’s why I’m telling you all this!” Jane said emphatically.

“Look, I like Dr. Isles; we all do, but she still holds us all at a distance,” Frost explained. “Everyone except you and Gabi. I don’t know much about her past, but from what I have gathered, she doesn’t expect people to stick around in her life. Nobody, even her parents, has made her a priority. It’s almost like it’s beyond her comprehension that she could be important enough in anybody’s life that they would stick it out when things get difficult, which is a bit ironic given that she’s easily the smartest person I know.”

“But…but I…” Jane stuttered.

“I know, Jane,” Frost assured her. “I know how important she is to you and how important she is to Gabi. My point is, I don’t think she does.”

“I-I-I thought she knew,” Jane said weakly.

“If I had to guess, you haven’t seriously doubted that you guys would be friends again. I’m sure you had momentary doubts or whatever,” Frost said quickly, sensing Jane’s upcoming protest. “But overall, you’ve always assumed that you guys would make up eventually. Do you want to know how I know?”

“Uh, yeah,” was all Jane could get out as she tried to process what Frost was saying.

“Because you never told Gabi to move on; you never told her that Maura wouldn’t be a part of her life anymore,” Frost said.

“How do you know what I’ve said to Gabi?” Jane protested half-heartedly, but she gave up at the look Frost shot her. “Okay, fine,” she huffed in concession.

“She would have at least started to move on if you had told her Maura wasn’t going to be a part of her life anymore, even if she was still upset. The fact that she’s still distraught tells me that she has hope that Maura will be back.”

“Okay, fine,” Jane repeated, “but I still don’t understand what that has to do with Maura’s surprise.”

“Deep down, you assumed that this would end with you guys making up; Maura doesn’t have the same expectations. No one else has stuck around when things get difficult, why would she expect you to?”

“But it’s different. We’re different. I wouldn’t…” Jane trailed off.

“I know that, Jane, but you need to prove it to her,” Frost said.

They fell into contemplative silence for a few minutes, but the silence was broken by Jane’s phone buzzing. Maura’s face and name popped up on her screen. Knowing it was probably Gabi on the other end, she skipped her usual greeting of “Rizzoli” for the softer, “Hello.”

“Mommy! Aunt Maura picked me up from school!” the excited voice of her daughter came over the phone, completely skipping the standard greeting. Jane couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips at the sound of joy in Gabi’s voice – a sound that had become increasingly rare over the past few weeks.

“I know, sweetie,” Jane said. “Are you okay? Your teacher said you were really upset.”

“M’ok,” Gabi said into the phone. “Sorry I was bad,” she added sadly.

“Oh baby, you weren’t bad,” Jane said. “It’s okay to have a bad day. I wish you would have told your teacher what was going on instead of withdrawing. It wasn’t a good choice to not listen to your teacher, but you’re not bad, okay?”

“‘kay,” Gabi mumbled.

“Are you okay, now?” Jane asked. “Or do you need me to come get you?”

“But Aunt Maura’s here,” Gabi said matter-of-factly, and Jane could tell by the confusion in her voice that she didn’t understand why she would need Jane to be there if Aunt Maura was with her.

Jane chuckled. “Okay, sweetie,” she said. “Promise you’ll listen to Aunt Maura?”

“Yeah,” Gabi answered. Then, she added, “Can we spend the night? My room missed me!”

“Oh, it did, huh?” Jane said as she laughed at the ridiculousness of her daughter’s argument.

“Yes!” Gabi said emphatically.

“I’m not sure,” Jane answered. “But if you’re okay with Aunt Maura, I’ll probably work a little later today so that I don’t have to work over the weekend. Is that okay with you?”

“Mmmhmm,” Gabi replied.

“Okay, I might be back after you go to bed, so I love you, bug,” Jane said.

“I love you, too, mommy,” Gabi said.

“Can I talk to Aunt Maura?”

Jane heard Gabi call for Maura in the background.

“Hello,” Maura said as she took the phone from Gabi.

“Hey,” Jane said. “Is she okay?”

“I think so,” Maura replied. “She still hasn’t told me what made her so upset at preschool, but she’s been acting relatively normal since I picked her up…maybe a little bit more clingy than usual, but otherwise, she seems okay.”

“Okay, thanks. Um, if you guys are doing okay, then, I will probably work later so that I don’t have to work tomorrow. If you’re sure you’re still okay with that,” Jane added.

“Of course,” Maura said, and Jane could tell that she was being genuine. “She can stay here as late as you need her to. I have everything she needs.”

“Okay, thanks,” Jane repeated. “But please call me if she gets upset again.”

“I will,” Maura assured her before they said their goodbyes and hung up the phone.

A few hours later, Jane and Frost returned to the precinct with the suspect in custody. Jane’s mother was just leaving from her shift at the café as they walked in.

“I didn’t think you were working late today,” Angela commented to Jane when she saw her. “Where’s Gabi?”

“I’ll meet you upstairs,” Frost said as he left the two women to talk.

Jane returned her attention to her mother, knowing that she was bound to have a reaction to her next statement. “She’s with Maura,” she said simply. As she expected, Angela’s face quickly moved from surprise to happiness.

“You guys made up?!” she said excitedly.

“It’s…complicated,” Jane offered slowly. “Can we just leave it at that for now?”

Angela made a face but acquiesced. “Fine, as long as all three of you come over for Sunday dinner. It is Father’s Day after all,” Angela said.

“Okay, first of all, you can’t invite Maura to her own house, and I hope you asked her before you started inviting people over,” Jane said firmly. “Second, who the hell are we celebrating. Pop’s who knows where in Florida with some blonde bimbo. Gabi’s dad’s not a helluva lot better. I doubt he’ll even remember to call her on Sunday. And Frankie and Tommy don’t have any kids.”

Angela pouted. “We can still celebrate being a family,” she said.

Jane could tell she was going to lose this argument. “Fine, whatever, but can we not say it’s for Father’s Day, at least? Can it just be Sunday dinner?”

“As long as all three of you are there,” Angela retorted.

“I’ll ask Maura, but I won’t demand she does anything with us.”

“I can live with that,” Angela replied, causing Jane to roll her eyes.

Jane and Angela said goodnight, and Jane headed back upstairs to interrogate their suspect. Hopefully, they could break him, finish the paperwork, and get out of here at a decent hour.


	3. Game of Chicken

It was just after 9:30pm when Jane was standing outside Maura’s front door. She wasn’t sure if she should just let herself in or if she should knock. Before the shooting, she would have just walked in, but now…now she hadn’t even been here in six weeks. In the end, she decided knocking was the safer option.

It didn’t take long for Maura to open the door.

“I didn’t want to wake Gabi by ringing the doorbell,” she said nervously, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Maura smiled softly and stepped aside to let Jane inside. She decided not to comment on the fact that Jane could have just used her key. Instead, she stayed in safer territory. “Did you finish everything you needed to at work?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Jane said as she followed Maura into the kitchen. “We still have some paperwork to complete, but that can wait until Monday. Thanks again for watching Gabi so we could finish, and I could have the weekend off. How was she?”

“She was really good,” Maura said, her smile growing as she thought about how much she enjoyed her afternoon with the little girl. “She took a nap without a problem after lunch. We played some games after her nap. I made stir-fry for dinner, and she ate well. We watched a movie before bedtime. She fell asleep around 8:30pm.”

“Thanks,” Jane said.

“Have you eaten?”

“Just some snacks from the vending machine, but I’m okay. I’ll get something at home,” Jane said as she avoided making eye contact with Maura.

“Jane,” Maura said softly but firmly, finally getting Jane to look at her. “You’re exhausted. Just stay here tonight. That way you don’t have to wake up Gabi, and I’d really prefer that you don’t drive while you’re so tired. There’s left over stir-fry that I can warm up. Everything you need is still in the guest room.”

“I don’t want to put you out,” Jane said, breaking eye contact with Maura as she said it. When she heard Maura sigh in resignation, Jane realized that she needed to break the stalemate – she needed Maura to know how important she was to Jane and to Gabi. Jane brought her hands up to her face and rubbed the heels of her over her eyes. Letting her hands drop back to the counter, Jane finally gave in, “I’m sorry. I…you’re right. I’m sorry.”

Maura chanced a look back at Jane, but she was still afraid that if she said the wrong thing Jane would bolt.

“Look, Maura,” Jane said tiredly, “I know we need to talk. I-I-I…”

“You should eat first,” Maura cut in.

Jane nodded. “And shower. I really need a shower,” she said, waving her hands in front of her to feign shaking off the dirt and grime of the day.

Maura laughed. “Go shower while I warm up some stir-fry,” she said, giving Jane’s shoulder a slight push in the direction of the stairs.

Jane stopped by Gabi’s room on her way to the guest room shower. It looked pretty much the same as the last time Jane was here. She sat on the edge of Gabi’s bed, reached up her hand to brush some stray curls off her face, and left a soft kiss on her forehead. Gabi didn’t even stir as Jane quietly stood up and left the room.

After Jane quickly showered and changed, she returned downstairs to find that Maura had set a plate full of stir-fry in her usual place at the kitchen island. She had also set out a cold beer and a cup of water.

Maura didn’t hear Jane come back downstairs, so Jane paused as she entered the kitchen to watch her friend. Maura was standing at the kitchen sink cleaning the container she had used to store the left-over stir-fry. She was dressed comfortably, but she still looked amazing. She was wearing capri-length yoga pants and what was probably technically a t-shirt but was easily more expensive and nicer than all of Jane’s t-shirts combined. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, and she was barefoot. Jane knew that she was one of the only people that ever got to see Maura this relaxed. _God, she had missed her friend._

After turning off the water and drying her hands, Maura turned to see Jane standing in the entrance to the kitchen. Jane’s heart broke when she saw the nervousness in Maura’s timid smile. Her body language screamed discomfort and uncertainty, and Jane hated that she was the reason for that.

Jane walked over to Maura and took the dishtowel out of her hands. She set the dishtowel neatly on the counter (if she were anywhere else, she would have just dropped the towel on the counter, but this was Maura’s house and if she did that, Maura would spend the entire conversation thinking about it). She took Maura’s hands in her own, letting her thumbs gently rub back and forth across Maura’s knuckles.

“Maura,” she said gently trying to get the other woman to meet her eyes, but Maura continued to avoid her gaze. She gave Maura’s hands a gentle squeeze before continuing, “I’m really sorry.”

“I’m sorry too,” Maura said quietly as she tried to blink back the tears threatening to fall. “I reacted emotionally, and…”

“No, Maura, I’m not talking about that,” Jane cut Maura off. “I mean, yes, I’m sorry about what happened after the shooting, too, and we’ll talk about that, but right now, that’s not what I’m talking about.”

Maura finally met Jane’s gaze in her surprise. “What are you talking about?” she asked, her voice shaking slightly from all the emotions swirling inside her.

“I’m going to ask you a question and I want you to answer honestly, okay?”

Maura nodded and unconsciously tightened her grip on Jane’s hands.

“Did you really not realize how important you are to us…to me and to Gabi?” Jane asked desperately.

Maura tilted her head, uncertain of how to answer Jane’s question. “I don’t know how to answer that question because there are multiple different ways to quantify importance,” Maura said.

Jane laughed and rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine,” she said. “You are Gabi’s favorite person in the entire world, and you’re easily the most important person in her life other than me. I-I thought you knew that. And I thought you knew how important you are to me. Other than Gabi, you’re the most important person in my life.”

Maura could no longer hold back her tears, and they started falling thick and fast down her face. Maura squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to control her emotions. She felt Jane let go of her hands, and she momentarily missed the contact until Jane wrapped her arms around Maura, holding her tight.

“I’m so sorry, Maura,” Jane whispered into her hair. “You’re not just another person in my life, and you’re not just another person in Gabi’s life. I know I’ve been an ass these past six weeks, but I never stopped loving you. And I’ve really missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” Maura choked out, “both of you.”

They stood in their embrace for a few minutes before Maura’s tears finally subsided. Maura stepped back and attempted to wipe the evidence of her tears from her face. “You should eat,” she said softly. “I can warm it up again.”

Jane smiled. “I got it,” she said as she picked up the plate and carried it to the microwave.

Maura nodded and added, “I’m just going to clean up my face in the bathroom.”

“Okay,” Jane replied. She waited for her dinner to heat up before returning to the island. She was already sitting and eating by the time Maura returned and took the seat next to her.

“I need you to know,” Maura said softly as she stared at her hands fiddling with the napkin in front of her, “that I am really sorry about how I reacted after the shooting. I reacted emotionally and I’m not proud of it.”

Jane glanced at Maura as she continued eating. “I’m sorry, too,” she said. “I got defensive and well we all know what happens when I get defensive.”

“You become offensive,” Maura said, and Jane could hear a hint of laughter in her voice.

“Well, I was going to say that I go on the offensive,” Jane said with a laugh, “but yeah, I guess I become offensive, too.”

“That’s what I meant,” Maura replied.

They fell into silence for a few moments before Maura commented, “I’ve wanted to fix things for a while now, but I didn’t know how. I also wasn’t sure if you wanted to.”

“That’s the part that I hate the most,” Jane said. “To be honest, Frost called me out on it today. He pointed out that I’ve pretty much spent the whole time assuming we’d eventually figure this out. I mean sure there were times I had doubts, but overall, he’s right. And I thought you felt the same. I didn’t realize that you didn’t see it the same way.”

“I wanted to believe that we’d fix our friendship,” Maura said. “I just…I don’t know…I guess part of me has always assumed that you’d eventually get tired of me and move on. Honestly, no one has stayed in my life as long as you have – you and Gabi.”

“Well, just so you know, no matter what, you’re stuck with us,” Jane said.

Maura smiled. “I’d like that,” she said quietly. “Can I ask you a question, though?”

“Yeah,” Jane replied.

“Why did you wait so long to say something? I mean, even if you weren’t ready to apologize, why didn’t you at least talk to me?” she asked nervously.

Jane sighed. “Is because I’m an ass enough of an answer?” she asked.

Maura glanced at Jane but didn’t respond.

Jane sighed again. “I’m not proud of it,” she admitted slowly. “But I let my pride get the better of me.”

“I don’t understand,” Maura said.

“Do you know the game of chicken?” Jane asked.

“It’s a model of conflict in game theory,” Maura said. “Essentially the Cold War was a worldwide game of chicken.”

“Okay, yeah,” Jane said, laughing internally at the fact that Maura would use game theory and history to describe the game of chicken when most people would describe it as two cars driving straight at each other on a collision course. _God, she loved this woman._

“I wanted you to swerve first,” Jane continued. “I didn’t want to ‘lose,’ but that’s stupid because in the end we both lost, and Gabi lost, and she wasn’t even playing. We both know I’m competitive and stubborn, and I let that get the best of me. My ego wanted you to come to us first.”

“If I had known, I would have done so. I would have yielded,” Maura said quietly.

“I’m sorry, Maura,” Jane repeated.

“It’s not all your fault,” Maura said firmly. “Even if I didn’t understand the ‘game’ we were playing, I could have talked to you. I could have apologized. I knew I hurt you with the things I said after the shooting. I’m sorry too, Jane. I’m so sorry.”

Jane nodded as she stood up to rinse off her empty plate and put it in the dishwasher. “Can we maybe just move forward now?” she asked.

Maura stood up from her chair. “I’d like that,” she said. She stepped in front of Jane and pulled her in for a hug. “You and Gabi are the two most important people in my life, too,” she added. “And I never want to lose either of you.”

Jane returned Maura’s hug.

“Let’s get some sleep,” Maura said. “If there’s anything else we need to talk about, it can wait until tomorrow.”

Jane nodded, and they walked together up the stairs, both happier than they had been in weeks.


	4. Father's Day

Maura was having a hard time falling asleep. It had been an emotional day, and now that she was alone in her bed, it was really hitting her. She let the tears fall as she grieved the time lost with Jane and Gabi. After tonight, she was determined to let go of the past and do her best to move forward.

Maura sat up slightly when she heard a knock on her bedroom door. She quickly tried to wipe the evidence of her tears from her face before saying, “Come in.”

She had expected Jane to open the door, and she was surprised when Gabi padded towards her bed. Without hesitation, the four-year-old climbed into bed with Maura and snuggled into her. Maura wrapped her arms around the sleepy little girl.

“Why are you sad, Aunt Maura?” Gabi whispered once she was comfortably cuddled against Maura.

Maura paused as she tried to formulate an answer that would make sense to the little girl. She brought her hand up and ran her fingers through Gabi’s curls. “I’m okay, sweetie,” Maura said quietly. “I was just thinking about how much I missed you and your mom.”

“And that makes you sad?” Gabi asked as she rubbed her eyes with her fist before burying her face back against Maura’s chest.

“I’m sad that I missed being able to spend time with you.”

“I missed you too. I was sad when I didn’t get to see you,” Gabi mumbled.

“Why are you up, sweetie?” Maura asked, hoping to direct the conversation away from herself. “Are you okay?”

“I had to use the baf-room,” Gabi said quietly. Then, as though she just realized what she had said, she said louder, “Oh, I have to go to the baf-room,” and scrambled out of bed towards the hallway bathroom before Maura could respond.

Maura giggled at the little girl’s antics. She knew that, technically, she should hope that Gabi would go back to sleep in her own room since that was what was best for her, but in reality, she was really hoping Gabi would come back to her room. She listened as the toilet flushed and the water ran as Gabi washed her hands. Gabi returned to Maura’s room and accidently slammed the door to Maura’s bedroom behind her.

“Oops,” she said with a giggle. Then, she ran across the room, and climbed back into Maura’s arms. “Can I sweep wif you?” she mumbled.

Usually, Jane and Maura tried to encourage Gabi to sleep in her own room, but tonight Maura was going to give in to what they both wanted. “Yes, sweetie, you can sleep with me,” she said before gently placing a kiss on the top of Gabi’s head.

“Wuv you,” Gabi said through a yawn. “Night, night.”

“Good night my love,” Maura replied.

Jane jolted awake when she heard a door slam. She quickly climbed out of bed, opened the guest bedroom door, and stepped into the hall. Gabi’s bedroom door was open, so Jane snuck her head in, noticing Gabi’s bed was empty. Normally, seeing Gabi’s bed empty would instantly make Jane panic, but tonight she wasn’t surprised, and she was pretty sure she knew exactly where Gabi was. Still, she wouldn’t be able to sleep without making sure.

Jane knocked on Maura’s door. When Maura said, “Come in,” Jane could hear the smile in her voice.

“Hey, is Gabi in here?” Jane whispered as she stuck her head in the door.

“Yes,” Maura said guilty. “I’m sorry; I just couldn’t say no.”

“That’s okay,” Jane said with a smile. “I just wanted to make sure since she wasn’t in her bed.”

“Do you want her to go back to…” Maura started.

But Jane cut her off, “No, it’s okay.”

Maura was about to say thank you when Gabi’s sleepy voice joined the conversation. “Come sweep wit’ us mommy,” she murmured.

“You can,” Maura said hopefully.

“Okay,” Jane said, fully stepping into the room and quietly shutting the door behind her. As Jane walked to the opposite side of the bed, Maura shifted Gabi so that she would be between her and Jane. The little girl settled between them but kept her arms wrapped around Maura.

Jane climbed into Maura’s bed, moving towards the center so that she could gently rub Gabi’s back. She gave Maura a soft smile.

“Aun’ Mo-wa was sad so I had to make her happy,” Gabi muttered without opening her eyes or turning away from Maura.

“You’re good at making Aunt Maura happy,” Jane said gently. She could tell that Gabi had fallen asleep as her grip on Maura loosened slightly, but she didn’t let go completely.

Jane shifted her gaze from her daughter to Maura’s face. Maura gave her a sad and slightly embarrassed smile. Jane moved the hand that was rubbing Gabi’s back to squeeze Maura’s hand reassuringly.

“I’m sorry,” Maura said thickly. “I know I should have told her that she needed to go sleep in her own bed, but I-I just couldn’t do it.”

“It’s okay, really,” Jane said, giving Maura’s hand another squeeze. Jane shifted closer to Maura and wrapped her arm around her and Gabi. She hugged Maura awkwardly as well as she could given the child in between them. “She missed you,” Jane said. She paused before adding, “I missed you, too.”

Maura could only nod; her voice was caught in her throat given everything she was feeling. Eventually, she choked out, “I missed you guys, too.”

They both feel silent and eventually fell asleep, all three of them tangled together.

When Maura woke up on Saturday morning, she realized that she had slept through the night for the first time in weeks. At some point during the night, Gabi had moved back to her other side, but she was still curled in Maura’s arms. Jane’s body was pressed against Maura’s back as she spooned her from behind, and Jane’s arms were holding both Maura and Gabi tight.

Maura placed a soft kiss on the top of Gabi’s head as she reveled in the feeling of her two favorite people surrounding her. The movement must have alerted Jane that Maura was awake.

“Mornin’,” Jane muttered sleepily.

“Good morning,” Maura replied, and Jane could hear the smile in her voice.

It didn’t take long for Gabi to stir as well. They spent a few minutes together in bed just enjoying each other’s company with Gabi trying her best to make the two women laugh. They eventually made their way downstairs where Maura made pancakes for the three of them. They spent most of the day together. After breakfast, Jane and Maura took Gabi to the playground. Maura decided to pack a lunch so that they could eat a picnic lunch at the park. They spent the afternoon at Maura’s house, but after dinner Jane and Gabi had to go home since they weren’t really packed to stay at Maura’s long-term. Before they left, though, Gabi was able to convince Jane and Maura to agree that Jane and Gabi would spend the night at Maura’s after Sunday dinner.

* * *

“Mommy,” Gabi called out as she walked down the hallway from her bedroom to the kitchen on Sunday morning.

“Yeah, baby?” Jane asked, glancing at her daughter as she finished making breakfast.

“Can you help me wap t’is?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“A pwesent,” Gabi said, her tone suggesting that this should be obvious.

Jane laughed – like mother, like daughter. “Who’s it for?” she asked as she plated the eggs before buttering the toast for their breakfast.

“It’s a supwise,” Gabi said with a smirk on her face. “But it’s not for you,” she added seriously, causing Jane to laugh again.

“Do I get to know what it is?” Jane asked, looking at the box in Gabi’s hands. It was a white cardboard box about the size of a brick with Gabi’s name written across the top.

“It’s a supwise,” Gabi repeated.

Jane chuckled to herself as she carried their plates to the table. Clearly, Gabi was determined to keep whatever this was a secret.

“Okay, I’ll help you wrap it after breakfast, but come sit down and eat, okay?”

Gabi placed the box on the counter with all the gentleness she could muster before taking her seat at the table.

Jane had to use all her self-restraint not to peek in the box while she helped Gabi wrap it after breakfast. When Gabi made sure to bring the wrapped gift when the left for Sunday dinner, Jane started to think maybe she knew what it was. Since Gabi had made a gift for Jane at preschool for Mother’s Day, it seemed likely that the school also did something for Father’s Day, but Gabi hadn’t mentioned anything about it. Even though her dad was a deadbeat, she still would have helped Gabi send the gift to him had she asked.

Gabi couldn’t be the only kid in her class without a father in her life, so maybe they told kids just to give the gift to a male adult figure in their lives. That would make sense, Jane thought to herself. In that case, Gabi was probably bringing the gift for Frankie. Jane smiled to herself, thinking about how grateful she was to her brothers and Frost for being such great male role models for Gabi. Maybe celebrating Father’s Day wasn’t the worst idea in the world.

However, even though it was Father’s Day, Sunday dinner wasn’t much different than the typical Rizzoli family dinner. Jane really enjoyed it, though, because they hadn’t had one since she had Maura had started fighting. Jane liked to complain about these kinds of things, but the truth was, she loved her family, and she did enjoy spending time with them. Besides, there was no doubt that Gabi had missed this.

After dinner, Jane flopped on Maura’s couch. It had been an emotionally exhausting weekend, but she was so happy to be back in Maura’s home. She was even more happy to be on good terms again with Maura.

Maura handed Jane a beer as she sat down on the couch between Jane and Frankie. Jane was surprised that Gabi didn’t come into the living room with Maura. The little girl hadn’t been more than a few feet away from her favorite person all afternoon.

Jane sat up as she took the beer from Maura and looked around for her daughter. She saw Gabi coming back into the room with the wrapped gift she had brought with her.

Gabi climbed onto Jane’s lap and whispered in her ear, “Can I give my pwesent now?”

“Sure,” Jane said, nodding at her daughter.

Gabi shifted so that she was sitting sideways in her lap, her feet on the couch between Jane and Maura. When Gabi stuffed her feet underneath Maura, Jane had to hide her laughter. She was proud of Maura for not reacting to Gabi’s dirty kid feet touching her expensive designer skirt.

Gabi was bouncing excitedly in Jane’s lap as she shoved the present into Maura’s hands, surprising everyone in the room. “For you,” she said happily as she clapped her hands together in a perfect imitation of Maura when she was excited or happy.

The surprised look on Maura’s face mirrored Jane’s feelings, but Maura’s face quickly shifted to a bright smile. “What’s this for?” she asked Gabi.

“Father’s Day,” Gabi said emphatically. “My teacher said tat I could give it to the most importantest person besides mommy,” Gabi explained. Out of the corner of her eye, Jane saw her mother put her hands over her heart as she was touched by Gabi’s words.

“When did she say that?” Jane asked. The pieces of the last few days were finally starting to fall into place.

“Yesterday,” Gabi said, shifting her attention to Jane.

“You mean Friday?” Jane asked.

“Yeah,” Gabi said quickly.

“Is that why you were upset at school on Friday?” Jane asked gently.

Gabi tilted her head and started fidgeting with her hands. She nodded and said sadly, “Yeah, cus I wanted to give it to Aunt Maura, but I didn’t know if I could.”

“I’m sorry, baby,” Jane said quietly as she wrapped her arms around her daughter and pulled her into a hug.

Ever her mother’s daughter, Gabi squirmed out of her mother’s embrace and returned her attention to Maura. “Open it,” she said her excitement returning. Luckily, she didn’t notice Maura’s tears in her excitement.

Maura unwrapped the box as Gabi continued to bounce in Jane’s lap. The four-year-old was nearly vibrating as she struggled to contain her excitement.

The confusion on Maura’s face when she pulled the gift out of the box made Jane snort in laughter.

“Thank you, sweetie,” Maura said as she tried to hide her uncertainty.

Luckily, Maura didn’t have to ask what it was; Gabi answered the unasked question. “It’s soap on a rope,” she squealed. However, that didn’t seem to clarify anything for Maura. On the other hand, the rest of the adults in the room were all struggling to contain their laughter.

Maura decided to give up on figuring out exactly what Gabi had given her. She could ask Jane later. She gave Gabi a bright smile. “Thank you, Gabi. I love it,” she said as she placed the soap back in the box and opened her arms to hug Gabi. Gabi launched herself into Maura’s arms without hesitation. “I’m going to keep it forever,” Maura said into Gabi’s hair.

Gabi pulled back quickly and gave Maura a very serious look. “You’re s’posed to use it,” she said seriously.

Maura opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water as she tried to respond. She was torn between not wanting to disappoint Gabi and not wanting to use an unknown substance on her skin.

Jane decided to save Maura. “You know, Gab, how we have a soap for you and a soap for me in the bathtub?” she said, causing Gabi to turn her attention to Jane.

Gabi nodded.

“Well, Aunt Maura has a certain soap that she uses too. Plus, I think maybe Aunt Maura wants to keep it because it’s from you.”

Gabi shrugged, and it was clear to Jane that Gabi didn’t really associate Maura using the soap with whether or not she liked the gift. Gabi returned her attention to Maura. “But you like it, right?” she asked.

“I love it,” Maura said with a smile. “That’s why I want to keep it forever.”

Gabi seemed satisfied with this answer as she returned Maura’s smile and leaned back in for another hug.

The rest of the evening passed pleasantly enough, but after Gabi gave Maura the gift that she had made for her, Jane couldn’t wait for the rest of her family to leave so that she could talk to Maura alone. Gabi’s actions had finally caused Jane to admit something to herself that she had been avoiding for a while now. Jane would freely admit that she loved Maura, but what she now knew was that she was _in love_ with Maura.

Jane put Gabi to bed around 8pm, and when she returned downstairs, Maura and her mother were just finishing the kitchen clean-up. Jane fidgeted and tried to be patient as she waited for her mother to leave. Finally, Angela left a little over an hour later, and Jane and Maura were mercifully alone again.

They were still standing in the kitchen when Maura turned to Jane and asked, “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” Jane said curiously.

“Did it bother you that Gabi gave me that gift that was supposed to be for her father?” Maura asked nervously.

“What?” Jane exclaimed; she was genuinely surprised by Maura’s question. “Did you really think I would be?”

“You seemed to have some kind of reaction when she gave it to me, but I couldn’t interpret it,” Maura said. “I was just going to let it go, but I thought…well, I want to try improving our communication because I can’t do what we did the last six weeks again.”

Jane stepped closer to Maura and took her hands in her own. “I was upset when I realized what had triggered her meltdown on Friday. I felt guilty…I _still_ feel guilty. I hate that my stubbornness hurt her so much – hurt both of you. But seriously, I _love_ that she gave it to you.” Jane paused to let out a laugh. “Honestly, I think maybe she’s smarter than both of us, and she’s right. You are the most important person in her life in addition to me. Or should I use her word…you’re the importantest person.”

Maura smiled. “I love her so much,” she said quietly. “I didn’t know it was possible to love a child so much.”

“It’s kinda crazy, right?” Jane said with a smirk. “Being a parent?”

“I’m not actually her parent,” Maura said, and Jane could hear the sadness and vulnerability in her voice.

“I think maybe you are,” Jane said gently. “At least in all the ways that really matter.”

Maura smiled. She liked the sound of that, and in all honesty, she couldn’t imagine loving another child more than she loved Gabi. Maura didn’t realize that she had gotten lost in her own thoughts until Jane’s voice broke through.

“All of this made me realize something else,” Jane said slowly.

“What did you realize?” Maura asked softly. Her eyes locked on Jane’s. She could see the nervousness in Jane’s eyes, but she could also see the love.

Jane took a deep breath. “I-I, um…god, why is this so hard?” she said. Closing her eyes as though doing so would slow the panic rising inside of her, Jane continued, “I-I love you. What I mean is I’m _in love_ with you. I think I have been for a while, but I didn’t see it until…well, until Gabi pointed out that…well, until she gave you that gift today.” Jane dropped Maura’s hands from hers and brought them up to her face. She ran her hands down her face in frustration as she continued her rambling, “I have always known how important you are to her, so it’s not that. It’s just that in that moment, I saw us as a family, which…ugh, I’m not being clear at all. You were always family, I just…”

“Jane,” Maura said tenderly. She reached up and gently pulled Jane’s hands from her face. “I love you too.” Tears were now flowing down Maura’s cheeks. She tried to calm her emotions as she continued, “I’m so in love with you, but I never thought you could feel the same way.”

They weren’t far apart to begin with, but Jane stepped closer to Maura. Maura’s breath hitched when Jane invaded her personal space. Jane brought her hands up to cup Maura’s face. She looked deep into Maura’s eyes searching for confirmation that this is what she wanted too, but she didn’t have to wait long. Maura closed the small distance remaining between them. When their lips met for the first time, Maura melted. She let herself lean into Jane and wrapped her arms around Jane’s back, pulling her impossibly closer.

Jane hummed into the kiss. She had never felt anything else like this. She never wanted to stop kissing Maura. She had just started to deepen the kiss when they heard a squeal of joy coming from the direction of the stairs. They both jumped in surprise, and Maura tried to step back, but Jane held her in place.

Before they could react, a warm body collided with their legs. Gabi had sprinted across the kitchen and was now hugging both women’s legs. Jane laughed and reached down to pick Gabi up. Gabi situated herself so that she was sitting on Jane’s hip, but her arm was holding Maura close in an awkward half-hug.

“What are you doing down here, little girl?” Jane asked, but despite her attempts to stay stern, she couldn’t keep the smile from her voice.

Gabi ignored the question. “You and Aunt Maura were kissing,” she pointed out excitedly. “Is Aunt Maura going to be my new mommy?” she asked.

Jane noticed the fear that flashed across Maura’s face, so she gave Maura’s arm a reassuring squeeze before she addressed Gabi. “Aunt Maura is already your family, sweetie,” Jane said gently to her daughter. “And absolutely nothing will affect how much you guys love each other, okay?”

Gabi nodded and reached out to Maura who took the little girl into her arms. “Your mom’s right, sweetie,” Maura said. “I love you so much, and that isn’t dependent on what you call me or what my relationship is to your mom.”

“Is Aunt Maura your girlfriend?” Gabi asked Jane. Jane had to stop herself from laughing when Maura looked at her, too, as though she wanted to know the answer as much as Gabi did.

“Well, somebody interrupted us,” Jane said teasingly, and she reached out to tickle Gabi. The little girl giggled. “Aunt Maura and I still need to talk about what we want our relationship to be now, and that’s a conversation for adults only. So why don’t you give both of us a hug and get your cute little booty back in bed?”

“Okay,” Gabi sighed as dramatically as possible.

“I promise you, baby, that Aunt Maura and I will talk to you about what all of this means as soon as we figure things out, but I don’t want you to worry, okay? No matter what happens, we will both love you, and we will both always be here for you.”

“Okay,” Gabi relented, and this time her ‘okay’ sounded more tired than dramatic.

Jane watched Maura give Gabi and hug and a kiss goodnight. Jane quickly did the same before lightly pushing the little girl back towards the stairs. Gabi flashed them one last smile before bounding up the stairs. When she heard the door to Gabi’s bedroom close, Jane turned back to look at Maura.

Maura smiled shyly. “I’d like that, you know?” she said softly. “I mean, if you wanted that. I’d like to be your girlfriend.”

Jane smiled brightly. “I’d like that, too,” she said, and she closed the distance between them pulling Maura in for another kiss. “I love you so much,” she whispered against Maura’s lips.

“I love you, too,” Maura replied, smiling into their kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Supwise = surprise  
> Pwesent = present  
> Can I sweep wif you? = Can I sleep with you?  
> Wuv you = Love you  
> Aun’ Mo-wa = Aunt Maura  
> Can you help me wap t’is? = Can you help me wrap this?
> 
> I’ve always thought kids making soap on a rope as a gift was really weird. Really, what parent/adult wants soap from their kids? Anyway, I remember making it more than once as a kid for Father’s Day, so I had to throw that in here.

**Author's Note:**

> This story wasn’t meant to be a long story or a series (obviously, since it was supposed to be a scene in Family by Love, lol). However, a lot of people have asked for more Gabi. I may return to this universe at some point, but no promises. If I do add to this story/universe, it won’t be for a while since I need to finish my other stories.


End file.
